Origin of Fear
by 3DPhantom
Summary: Kuroba Toichi had never been more terrified in his entire life and, though he would never show it, he secretly hated fish from then on too. (AKA: An extreme take on how Kaito may have developed Ichthyophobia as a result of traumatic events from him when he was little, and the immediate after-effects it had on him.) (Rated M/Strong T.) (Cover-Art is mine and posted on DeviantArt.)
1. Chapter 1: Boy-Scout

**Category:** **I am publishing this under "** ** _Detective Conan/Case Closed_** **" and not under "** ** _Magic Kaito/ まじっく快斗_** **" because I believe the two should be combined category-wise.**

 **Characters:** **The only characters in this story not of my own design are the Kurobas (Toichi, Chikage, and Kaito).**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the Kurobas: Rights go to Aoyama-sama! I DID make the current cover art for this story.**

 **Warnings:** **Rated M (or a strong T) for violence, mental illness of a child, pedophilia, mentions of rape, and child abuse. Does** ** _not_** **contain descriptions of rape! (AKA: Kaito is** ** _not raped_** **. I couldn't write that.)**

 **A/N:** **This is not a story that is meant to be a real guess as to how Kaito developed Ichthyophobia. I have some good guesses for that, but this isn't one of them! This is a very-highly-unlikely possibility that wormed its way into my head, based rather heavily on my own fears as a caretaker. It was difficult to write this story. I cried a few times, so that happened... Anyway, on to the story!**

 **Chapter 1: Boy-Scout**

Kuroba Toichi may have masqueraded as an internationally wanted criminal on a monthly basis, and he may have also married a rather terrifying criminal as well... In fact, many of his friends had dealings outside of the law on a regular basis... But none of this meant that he was the type of man to sit back and watch others get hurt. He was a gentleman, and on more than one occasion both he and his wife had assisted in the arrest of other criminals. The particular, rather exclusive crime family he belonged to was a rather up-standing sort: They stole, borrowed, lied, caused more damage to private and public property alike then you could possibly even _imagine_... But they never really hurt anyone, nor did they aid in the harming of other people, and if ever they came across a situation where they could help prevent injuries, they would do so.

As such, while certainly nothing like a detective himself, one could say that the world-class magician sometimes had "cases" he worked. When he caught wind of a murderer on the loose nearby, or when he heard there might be some more dangerous monsters lurking about, he made it a habit to actively assist in their capture, especially when he figured that the criminals were not likely to be caught by the police alone.

He had his reasons for doing this. For starters, he cared when people got hurt. He was also territorial, and didn't appreciate other criminals working near his home. He was, despite what some people might have thought, a good man, regardless of his night-time activities.

But most of all, he wanted to create the safest world possible for his then four-year-old son Kaito to inherit. It was, after all, a father's duty, in part, to aid in the betterment of society. One of the many goals every good parent should aim for is to improve the world as a whole so that their children could live in a better world and lead better lives then they themselves had.

And so, Kuroba Toichi was on what some might call "a case." His wife called them "Boy-Scout Errands".

As was usual for whenever he decided to tackle a "Boy-Scout Errand," the task related closely to his own life and hobbies. In this case, he was sitting at a fellow magician's magic show, which doubled as a family friend's gathering for their youngest child's birthday party. His eyes scanned the room, lingering only for a moment on his son, who was currently playing tag with the other children his age, before continuing in their sweeping motion. At first the Kurobas were going to decline the invitation for this particular party, in part because Chikage was going to Italy for a friend's wedding, but then Toichi had realized that something strange and potentially bad might happen due to his most recent "case", and had decided to attend regardless.

And Kaito simply _insisted_ on coming. Toichi was almost fond of how convincing his offspring could be at times, despite his youth.

Toichi glanced again at his laughing wild-haired son and smiled.


	2. Chapter 2: For the Love of Fish

**Chapter 2: For the Love of Fish**

As startling as it may be to hear, Kaito _loved_ fish. His room was covered with them, bottom-to-top. Of all his stuffed animals, the rabbits, lambs, lions, and doves, there were more fish than anything else. Several of the posters on his walls were of colorful fish which appeared to have been caught mid-dance amongst each other. Even his bed-spread featured a dark blue background with the vibrant scaly creatures printed on it, appearing like fish in the ocean.

The reason behind it was, of course, magic. His _second_ favorite magician in the world (second only to his own father) was a man often referred to as the "Fishy Magician". He had a gimmick of fish, a theme for every show that was centered around the animals, and while Kaito loved his father, he had to admit, he did, at the time, _enjoy_ watching video recordings of the Fishy Magician more. His father was by far the greatest magician in the world, and Kaito proudly knew as much, but to a four-year-old boy watching magic through a television screen, he preferred the magician who catered specifically to a younger audience, unlike his own father.

All thoughts of the Fishy Magician went out the door any time his father performed live, naturally. Kaito had never seen his second favorite magician perform up-close before, and nothing could ever beat a real, in-person performance, such as the ones he saw from his father on a regular enough basis. Having seen his father's magic in-person before made watching it on the TV almost upsetting, hence his preference for the more colorful Fishy Magician while viewing through a screen. The decorations in his room, too, stemmed from the fact that his father's own wardrobe tended to be of the more tamed black-and white, or else featuring some red or blue accents, attire. His father was elegant in every performance: Mature, regal, poise... And sometimes hard to comprehend for a rambunctious four-year-old tyke such as Kaito. It lacked the simplistic, varicolored impact that a child's mind had a natural affinity to.

When Kaito heard that one of his friends was having a birthday party, he didn't mind much whether he went or not. His family had many acquaintances, ergo he had many friends, and none of them stuck out as being particularly memorable in his mind yet. But the Fishy Magician... When he heard that magician was going to be present, Kaito nearly leapt with excitement. Scratch that, the ever-burning ball of energy literally did _leap_ at the revelation.

He heard his mother and father discussing the possibility of not attending, and knew that he simply _had_ to do something! This, to the young boy's mind, was quite possibly the only chance he would ever have to see the magician in-person!

Kaito began with the simplest approach: An excited squeal and repeat exclamations of exactly what he wanted, so that the adults wouldn't get confused: "I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go!"

"Sorry, son, not this time." His father ruffled his hair and left it at that, but Kaito wasn't having it.

"But, Otou-san!"

"No, Kaito."

Sensing that things weren't going his way, Kaito decided to go straight for his most _deadly weapon_.

 _The tears._

Toichi sighed. He knew that Kaito wouldn't be like this forever: One day he'd grow out of being such a spoiled, energetic brat, (or at least, God, he sure hoped so!) but for now, Kaito was _his_ spoiled little energetic brat. Somehow the boy already knew that crying while screaming wasn't what would yield results, despite what most children seemed to believe. Rather he looked up at his father in total silence, with wide, tear-filled eyes, before looking down in disappointment and rubbing at his eyes, as if trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

And _God damn it all if those big indigo eyes glistening with tears didn't make Toichi's heart clench in his chest._

Toichi kept his resolve and didn't say anything further, but his wife could see, despite his Poker Face, the indecision and pain running through her husband's heart and mind. She chuckled slightly.

"Oh Toichi, dear, just take him! You're going yourself all the same, and this one's a private event, so I'm sure it'll be alright! Besides," she leant down and rubbed at her son's cheeks, Kaito staring at her with drying, wide, hopeful eyes, "nothing can happen as long as you're there."

Toichi sighed. "You're right, of course," he agreed, and she shot him a fond look that clearly said _"aren't I always?"_ He chuckled and patted his knee, signaling for Kaito to hop up onto it. His son did so without hesitation.

"Alright, I'll take you with me, but you have to be on your best behavior, got it?" Kaito instantly nodded and hugged his father around the neck, more pleased than Toichi had ever seen him before. He kissed Kaito's soft, unruly locks fondly.

If only he'd let the boy cry...

 **A/N:** **Reviews appreciated~!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Case

**Chapter 3: The Case**

The current case was... Disturbing. It was a case which had Toichi on edge, and which bothered him greatly, though he wouldn't let such a detail show to the world at large. Only his wife seemed capable of knowing when his emotions were unsettled and twisted; when he was troubled and worried. He never knew how she did it: He'd often check the mirror to see if there were any indications on his face, any discoloration on his skin... He'd even check his heart beat and ensure that it was kept perfectly under control, and yet, somehow, she always knew not only when he was upset, but also exactly what had him agitated and flustered on the inside. Even more remarkable, she usually knew how to fix it, regardless of the issue.

Either which way, Toichi was disquieted with his current case, and with Chikage off to Italy, he would have to settle himself.

The Fishy Magician did, of course, have a name: Minamoto Futsuji. Minamoto had been an active and world-renown magician for over thirty years. Despite the fact that he was not the most talented of magicians, and was known mostly for his ability to cater to a younger audience, most magicians he met were still rather fond of him; Kuroba Toichi had not been an exception when he first met the man nine years prior. The man was kind, gentle, and energetic in his older age (being around the age of sixty), and most of all, he was clearly fond of children. He'd had three sons and two daughters himself, all grown and living their own happy lives at this stage in life, and he'd been happily married until his wife's passing seven years past.

The details for the case Toichi was working, as far as he knew them, were as follows: Something had begun going horribly wrong at Minamoto's shows. Not at all of them, and not everywhere, but still, something began to happen. Four years ago, children who attended his shows began to disappear. They went missing, sometimes during, sometimes before, and often after his performances. They were always between the ages of three and seven, more often times being male rather than female. It wasn't at every performance that a child went missing and, specifically, they only disappeared from shows which were being held in Japan. No children had been reported missing from any of Minamoto's international performances, and of the shows held in Japan children only went missing from a third of them, almost exclusively from larger audiences where he was performing at public events.

In total, over the past four years, an unnerving thirty-two children had gone missing; eleven girls and twenty-one boys. Most had been taken from different shows, one per performance, except for three cases in which two children had gone missing on the same night. Of the thirty-two total children who had disappeared, thirty of them were still filed as missing.

Based on what he had gathered so-far, Toichi believed that, most likely, Minamoto had a crazed fan who began to attend his performances and steal children from them. This explained why children didn't tend to go missing from private events, with the exception of two cases, and would also justify why children only went missing in Japan. If Minamoto himself, or someone who was needed for his performances (such as an assistant) was the culprit, then the reason for children to only go missing from Japan would be left unexplained. More likely, it was someone who lived in Japan and therefore could not easily attend international shows.

Moreover, it was entirely possible that children were not only disappearing from the magician's performance sites: There was no way, as of yet, of knowing if this single culprit only took from the Fishy Magician's audiences. It was entirely possibly, likely even, that more missing child cases related to this one culprit. For a sick bastard looking to kidnap some children, a world-renowned magician's children show was a good place to take them from, with large numbers of them gathered in a single location and busy, distracted crowds which were easy to get lost in. The show itself provided an easy diversion for anyone wanting to take children, and as-of-yet there had been no evidence collected about when or how the children were taken. Apart from parents reporting that their children were missing and detailing what the last time they'd seen them was, as well as when they noticed their absence, there was nothing to even suggest that children had been going missing.

The most disturbing factor of the whole case was the two children which _had_ been found...

Of those reported missing from the shows, only two of the thirty-two had been discovered, both long dead by the time they'd been noticed. One was buried under a tree in a local park, dug-up by a stray dog and decayed by two weeks. The other washed up on the shore-line just outside of Yokohama. It was theoretically possible that the other thirty children had not met this fate: That these two had actually been the work of a second culprit...

But Toichi doubted it. Such thinking was wishful, at best, and more likely the truth was that the bodies of the others had simply not been found. It did seem as though the culprit knew how to dispose of a body to a rather thorough degree.

Both of the ones which had been found were little boys, and based on what little evidence could be retrieved from their bodies... Toichi couldn't even begin to imagine such horrible things happening to his own precious son. The thought alone was almost enough to make him gag; almost enough to effectively wipe his Poker Face clean off.

When three weeks ago he'd gotten ahold of the case files (via less than legal means) detailing what known atrocities had been done to the boys, he'd been unable to prevent himself from leaving his workroom, entering his son's room, and pulling his sleeping child into a tight, protective embrace. He had remained there with his only child secured against his chest until morning, when Kaito had ultimately awoken to find his wakeful father holding him before uncomprehendingly squirming out of the embrace and going to the kitchen for breakfast.

Toichi, phantom thief though he may be, was not cut out for seeing such violent images as the ones depicted in the police reports, and as a father, it had been painful beyond imagine to picture his own son in such a state.

The only thing, in fact, which could possibly be worse was facing that image not in his own mind, but in reality.


	4. Chapter 4: Performance

**Chapter 4: Performance**

Kuroba Kaito played gleefully with the other children, comfortably aware of his father's watchful gaze upon him every few minutes, until the show was ready to start. When the lights dimmed and none other than the Fishy Magician had made his way on-stage with a wave and pretend-stumble, Kaito had been one of the first to sit himself on the floor directly in front of the little stage and laugh, eyes wide and smile already on his face. He was barely aware at that point of the eyes of his father, which came to rest on him twice as often now that the lights had been dimmed and visibility was more limited.

Several large glass containers were wheeled onto the stage and, one by one, the Fishy Magician would make fish of varying colors appear, ranging in size from tiny Minnows to two-foot-long Koi. At one point he put a single goldfish inside of a little round, glass bowl and proceeded to make it change color several times. Kaito was especially fond of the end of the show, by which point there was a giant glass fish tank the height of a person and at least two meters long on-stage with a number of colorful fish in varying sizes and breeds swimming busily about, their scales reflecting the stage lights and making them glow and cast their colors about the room. The back panel of the tank was a mirror, which gave the illusion of there being twice as many fish as there actually were, and the children were none the wiser, highly impressed and visually stunned.

As the performance came to an end, Toichi kept careful watch on not only Kaito, but all of the children. There were seventeen boys and girls between the ages of three and seven in attendance which needed to be protected, and though Toichi somewhat doubted that any children would go missing from here, a private and smaller gathering, he still kept his guard up, highly aware that there had, in fact, been two circumstances in the past in which a little boy and a little girl disappeared from private events.

Only a minute or so before the end of the performance, one of the servers who was working the party approached a little girl, who was sitting in the back corner of the gathered crowd of children near the front of the room. Toichi narrowed his eyes as the man leant down and whispered to the girl. The girl nodded and stood, following the man, who lead her towards the service hallway.

Toichi glanced one more time at his own boy before moving to follow the little girl and waiter, concerned for her safety. It was, after all, highly suspicious for a server (someone who was not known by those hosting the party) to be speaking with one of the children who fit the victim list a minute before the show ended and the lights would be turned back up, and to then lead her towards the service hallway, a place where typically only staff or the hosts would go and not the guests; especially not the children. A place where there would be less prying eyes...

Toichi quickened his pace a tad, wanting to close a bit of the distance between himself and the potentially at-risk girl.

Kaito didn't notice when his father left the room, eyes glistening under the reflected light from the fish.


	5. Chapter 5: The Fishy Magician

**Chapter 5: The Fishy Magician**

Kaito was _so glad_ that he'd come! He knew that seeing magic performed up-close and in-person was far better than seeing it on a screen, but truly, with the visually stunning appeal the Fishy Magician brought to the stage, magic had taken on a whole new light for him! Never-mind the fact that it perhaps wasn't even the magic that impressed him, seeing as he'd observed his father making both bigger and grander things appear and disappear before... Regardless, Kaito was downright giddy!

He chatted with the other children after the show, showing off a trick or two of his own, though he barely knew a handful.

The adults which were observing them seemed impressed all the same, surprised to see any tricks at all from one so young. Though, to be fair, he _was_ the son of the greatest magician yet-to-date, and they had no doubt that one day the boy would be a marvelous magician himself.

Kaito was pleasantly surprised when none other than Minamoto Futsuji approached him, still wearing his purple magician's outfit with comical fish-decorated lapels. Kaito's eyes bugged-out and he instantly gave the man his undivided attention.

"Hey, boy, those are some nice little tricks. Let me guess: You're the son of Toichi-kun, aren't you?" He asked, and Kaito instantly nodded, gaping at the man like a fish out of water.

"Y-you!" Kaito finally managed, stammering in excitement. "You're one of my favorite magicians!" He exclaimed suddenly, with no regard for the volume of his voice. Luckily for him, his was one of only many loud child voices at the party, seeing as it was the birthday of a by-then six-year-old. "I have your poster on my wall! Three of 'em!"

The man laughed boisterously, a smile evident on his face. "Oh? I'm glad to hear it!" He glanced around, looking for Toichi. "Your father _is_ around, I presume? I thought I saw him earlier..."

Kaito nodded, glancing around the room himself for a moment but all-too-quickly re-focusing on the elder man before him. "I don't know where he went, but I'll find the old man later! He's around all right! He definitely wouldn't leave me here because he's always getting mad if I run off! But now look, it's him who did it this time!" Kaito exclaimed triumphantly, as if he had just proven some all-important point.

Minamoto nodded. "Of course, of course. He's a responsible fellow: We'll find him later. What about your mother though? I'd like to say hello. It's been quite a while since last I saw her..."

Kaito shook his head. "'Kaa-san isn't here! She was busy going somewhere else," he clarified.

Minamoto nodded and his smile grew. "Oh? I see. That's too bad." He looked around again, noting that the other children had been distracted by the cutting and serving of the birthday cake which was currently taking place. "Say, boy... What's your name, lad?"

"Kuroba Kaito!" Kaito answered dutifully.

Minamoto nodded. "Right. So, Kaito-kun, I take it you like fish?"

Kaito nodded vigorously. "I love them! They're so pretty!"

Minamoto chuckled. "Well then, how would you like to see all of them?"

Kaito's eyes widened. " _ALL_ of your fish?" He nodded vigorously at the offer.

Minamoto chuckled and motioned for Kaito to follow him. He did so happily, trotting along behind the man. Thus-far, this had proven to be one of the most exciting and happiest nights of his entire life!

Minamoto lead them down the service hallway and out of the back exit. Kaito hesitated for a moment at the back entrance to the outdoors, gazing at the dimly-lit parking lot before him.

Minamoto, sensing his hesitation, pointed to a large luxury RV towards the back of the lot. "I keep them in there with me, where I usually sleep and live while out and about. The walls on either side on the inside are lined floor-to-roof with lit-up fish tanks!" He said enticingly, and Kaito grinned, instantly hopping off the step that lead down to the parking lot's asphalt and catching up to the older man in a few quick, short strides. They continued along to the vehicle, Minamoto opening the door for him. Kaito thanked him and stepped inside, taking his shoes off by the stairs as Minamoto came in behind him.

Kaito's eyes widened as, true to his word, nearly the entirety of the whole RV was lined front-to-back, top-to-bottom, with a glass-wall type fish-tank on either side, each one coming about a foot outward into the cabin of the moveable home. Besides just the fish in the tanks there were cute cartoony fish imprinted onto the sofa which was present in the room, and colorful fish mobiles hung from the center of the ceiling, leaving fish characters suspended in the air above them.

Kaito found it all wonderful, the fish tanks most of all as he peered into them, noticing briefly his reflection in front of him due to the mirrors which were set behind the tanks and against the walls of the RV.

"Do you grow these fish yourself?" Kaito asked as he began to walk around, staring up at all the different kinds of fish.

Minamoto nodded, his eyes never leaving Kaito's small frame. "Of course, Kai-chan." Kaito didn't notice the nick-name, too distracted by the breathtaking sights before him.

"My 'Tou-san does that with our doves! He lets me help, too! I get to feed them sometimes and pet them! They really like to land in my hair: 'Kaa-san says it's because my hair is messy and soft like the inside of a bird's nest!"

"Is that so?" Minamoto said quietly. "You have wonderful indigo eyes," he commented as he strolled closer, stopping just behind Kaito.

Kaito smiled at him briefly in the mirror before returning his gaze to the fish. "Everyone says that!" He announced proudly. "Mommy and Daddy love 'em too! They talk about it all the time!"

"I can imagine."

Kaito shrugged, eyes averted upwards as he watched a particularly white Koi swim near the top of the tank, as if it were gliding through the air above him like the fish on the mobile. Watching it, for some reason far beyond his field of comprehension, reminded him of his father... Elegant and larger than life itself….

Kaito's smile faded a tad. "We should get Dad. He'd love to see this!" Kaito commented, his grin expanding once more at the thought of showing all this to his father.

He opened his mouth to say more, but words never came out as a sickly-sweet smelling cloth covered his nose and mouth, held into place by a bruising grip. His eyes instantly fluttered as he took in a deep breath out of surprise, entirely non-comprehending of what was going on. He fell unconscious within moments.

The Fishy Magician lifted the boy before laying him down upon the sofa. He proceeded to the front of the RV, climbing into the driver's seat and turning the ignition switch. The engine cranked and hummed to life, the sounds reaching neither the unconscious boy on the sofa nor the guests across the lot and inside the building.

Within a few moments they were off, down the road under the cover of night, towards a pre-determined location known only by one man on the whole of the Earth.

And that man was _not_ Kuroba Toichi.

 **A/N:** **Reviews appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6: Not Quite

**Chapter 6: Not Quite**

Toichi followed the little girl and waiter closely, disappearing with them into the back hallways, down a second corridor, and through a waiting room before finally stopping just outside of a final room. Toichi waited by the door after they went through, pressing his body closely to the door and listening intently. Ever-so-slowly, he began to push the door open, long seconds creeping by with his heart beating just a few beats faster than was usual as he reminded himself to keep his pulse in-check.

Crawling at a snail's pace, he managed to push the door open until there was a crack wide enough for him to see through. He kept one eye trained on the hallway behind him as he peeked into the room, still listening to pick up on what was being said.

There was another man in there, with scruff on his face and a dirty brown jacket on. He was kneeling before the little girl, the server waiting quietly off to the side, observing.

"I know sweetie," the man in the brown jacket with the scruff on his face whispered, "but I can't come home right now. Mommy and I are... Working some things out... But I promise, as soon as Daddy gets a good job, I'll be back."

The little girl sniffed, trying to hold back tears. With a wet, trembling voice, she insisted: "You promise?"

He nodded. "I promise," he clarified sternly before pulling her into a hug. She hugged him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding tightly.

 _'This... Definitely doesn't look like a kidnapping case,'_ Toichi thought. _'Or at least it's nothing like the cases I've been investigating.'_ Still, he watched as the girl and who he presumed was her jobless father separated, ducking behind another door in the hallway as the server led her back towards the party.

He continued to follow until the waiter and girl separated amongst the other party-goers, to ensure that the server truly wasn't the culprit. He didn't notice as the back-exit door finished swinging the last little bit into place, closing shut with a quiet and disheartening _'click'_.


	7. Chapter 7: Descending

**Chapter 7: Descending**

A/N: **Just so you know, things get more M-rated beginning this chapter and continuing for the next three chapters or so. Overall though, this story is much more about what effects these next events have on Kaito rather than the events themselves, so if you aren't into M-rated things and want to see the more psychological material, please bear with me, it _is_ coming.**

Kaito groaned, his head aching. He lifted his hands to rub at his closed eyes before blinking them open. His surroundings confused him.

He was laying on a dark-red shag carpet in a dimply lit place. The only light he had to see by was the light illuminating the fish tanks that stretched either wall. It took him a moment, but he soon realized that he was still in the luxury RV belonging to Minamoto Futsuji, the lights turned down to half-light.

Kaito looked around a bit more as he began to gingerly sit up, his head spinning with the motion and making him lay back down again as a wave of vertigo crashed over him. He tried to blink back tears as he clutched at his head, shutting his eyes for a moment before re-opening them. As his overly-dilated pupils began to adjust he found that he could see far more clearly what was around him. A look of confusion crossed his face.

"Fishy Magician?" He asked softly, peering up at the man who was sitting on the floor to the right of him, down closer to his feet than to his head, but still visible in the light now that Kaito knew where to look. "I'm sorry, did I fall asleep?" He apologized politely. How _had_ he fallen asleep? He didn't even remember dozing off...

Minamoto nodded. "Yes. Fainted, more like, I would say. How do you feel?" His eyes glistened with what Kaito _thought_ was concern, but as the man's eyes roamed and began to take in the entirety of the site before him, Kaito laying stretched out on the soft maroon carpeting and still appearing so small, Kaito got the sudden instinctual urge to flee.

"I... I'm okay," Kaito whispered quietly, trying to sit up again. "I... I should go find 'Tou-san..." He ended up on the floor again, this time due to a hand on his throat pushing him downward, holding tight enough to hurt, but not enough to cut off his air supply. His heart-rate quickened in fear.

Minamoto leant forward over the small frame, a knee placed to either side. He brushed his nose against the cheek of the boy below him, inhaling his chocolatey, youthful scent. Kaito shivered and tears suddenly pricked his eyes. He hadn't the faintest idea of what was going on, but whatever it was, he _didn't like it._

"Your father isn't here right now," the man whispered in his ear, "but I'm glad you're okay. If you're a good little boy and do as your elder tells you to, then I'll make sure you stay that way, and I'll take you back to him later, alright?"

Kaito shuddered, making the man stiffen, and Kaito's tears began to stream down his face as the man tilted his head upwards and began to brush his lips at the base of Kaito's neck. Kaito's eyes locked onto the fish-themed mobile above him. He shut his eyes for a moment.

"D-D-Daddy..." He whimpered. "Help me..."

Minamoto chuckled and bit down on Kaito's neck _hard._

Little Kaito screamed.


	8. Chapter 8: Lost

**Chapter 8: Lost**

Toichi heaved a silent sigh of relief when he saw the girl re-join the other children. He'd had nothing to worry about tonight after all... His eyes scanned the room.

They scanned again.

He stiffened and hastily searched the room a third time, with no sign of the distinguished messy brown hair of his child in the crowd.

"Kaito?" He whispered quietly before breaking into a brisk, fast-paced, long-stridden walk around the room. When he searched the place once again and found no sign of his son backstage, under the tables, behind the bar, or hanging from the chandelier, he quickly approached one of the magician's assistants.

"Excuse me, Aki-chan," he said, going straight for the one he knew best, a young girl of only twenty-five who had, for a time, served as an assistant under him. "Have you seen Kaito-kun around? He appears to have wondered off again, the little rascal." Toichi said this with a calm and gentlemanly smile, but for once, he couldn't stop his heart from racing.

Aki returned the smile and nodded. "Yes, he went with Master Minamoto after the show to see his private fish collection. He should be back by now though; Minamoto-sama already left in his RV, so Kaito-botchama is probably around here somewhere." She turned to look around the room, glancing about for the young boy. When she turned back to look at him, her smile instantly fell. "K-Kuroba-sama? Are you okay? Did something happen?!" She sounded slightly panicked herself at this point.

Toichi hadn't realized it, but at some point his ever-present smirk had fallen into a look of barely-suppressed terror. In all the years that Aki had known him, she had _never_ seen Toichi look anything less than perfectly charming and in-control. To see his calm demeanor slip now, she knew, must mean something truly horrible, beyond comprehension, was happening.

Toichi forced a smile back onto his face, and it was the most difficult smile he'd ever forced out of himself. "Excuse me," he said with a slight bow, walking as calmly and quickly as he could manage, trying not to draw more attention to himself, Aki watching him as he went with a deeply worried expression on her face.

As soon as Toichi made it into the service hallway he bolted, first to the valet room to nab his keys so that he wouldn't have to wait for the valet driver to ever-so-slowly bring his car around, and then to the parking lot, easily spotting his stark white 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider amongst the other cars. The keys were in the ignition before he'd even settled into the seat, the engine roaring to life. He let up on the clutch hard and fast, the car shooting off as he swerved it onto the streets, not bothering with his seat-belt.

He pulled out his monocle and adjusted some settings, making visuals appear on his eye-piece. Thank God he'd thought to put a tracker on Kaito's clothing; a habit he'd formed some time ago after losing Kaito in a crowd one-too-many times.

As soon as a direction was shown and his course was set he sped up, flipping a switch to exchange the license plates on the car, which now read simply "Kaitou 1412" so that he wouldn't have to worry about police or cameras trying to catch a glimpse of his license plate and track him down as he drove far-too-fast and yet not nearly fast enough down the highways. And of course, to ensure that no camera nor witness saw the famed magician Kuroba Toichi streaking through the night with a monocle on in a white car brandishing license plates of "Kaitou 1412," he pulled at his clothes, moments later through a flurry of fabric revealing himself in a white attire, his milky cape flowing out behind him as it was caught in the swift-moving winds which shifted over the roof and into the exposed cabin of the convertible. There was no time to stop and close the roof; there was no time for _anything._ All he could do was drive and pray to every deity he'd ever heard of that his son would be alright.

His speed hit 160km/hr. He pushed faster.

 **A/N:** **160km/hr roughly equates to 100mph.**


	9. Chapter 9: Defilement

**Chapter 9: Defilement**

When the man's fingers snaked under his blue button-up shirt with bruising force, he struggled. Even as the effects of the drugs still made his head throb, the steadily decreasing supply of oxygen due to the man's tightening hand on his throat in an effort to keep him still making it worse, he managed to struggle with all the fight he had left in him. He pushed at the man's chest, trying desperately to get his crushing weight off of him and to put some distance between them, the man's breath hot and uncomfortable on his skin as he panted.

Kaito kicked, managing to catch the man's left leg, and Minamoto growled, pulling back only long enough to slap Kaito, making him see stars as his head spun worse, a cry escaping his lips and sobs soon following after where before there had only been tears and quiet pleas.

The man pressed Kaito to his chest again, his hand roaming once more as the other clenched at his throat, and despite what had happened the first time, Kaito kicked again, this time also screaming for help as the hand on his neck loosened, praying that someone, anyone, would hear him.

Minamoto grabbed at his right arm and yanked it, hard, making it pop out of its socket, Kaito instantly screaming in pain. The hand grasped his throat, this time squeezing hard enough to cut Kaito's scream off, replacing it with pitiful whimpers and coughing.

"I warned you: If you do what I say, then you won't get hurt! Besides, nobody can hear you out here. You're far, far away from your father, or anybody else. It's just you and I, little Kaito. So hush, don't cry. Relax, and it'll all be over real soon, quick and painless."

Kaito barely understood what the man was saying between the adult references, the pounding in his ears, and the all-encompassing pain. Everything smelt of fish and some other, musky scent that Kaito couldn't name, his innocence depriving him of such knowledge. A slimy tongue traced his collarbone and moved across him in uncomfortable ways, doing things that he didn't understand, and reminding him of the feeling of stroking scales on a fish, but infinitely worse.

The man's grip on his torso tightened as he lowered his body down further onto Kaito, his weight crushing. Despite the smothering pressure from the man above him and the calloused hand squeezing the air out of his lungs, Kaito managed to cough out: "D-Daddy..."

"He's not here," Minamoto responded, his voice like sandpaper.

"He'll come," Kaito said, his voice barely a whisper, his vision entirely blurred by tears until the world around him was nothing but color and darkness. His words came out sounding more as a plea than a promise. "H-He, he'll come..."

"He probably doesn't even know you're gone yet," Minamoto insisted. "After all, you run off all the time, don't you? A bad little boy like you, even if he notices you aren't there, he'll just think you've run off again."

Kaito sobbed, because honestly, how could he deny what the man had said? Kaito swore that if he made it out of here and back to his father, he'd never let go of him ever again! He would be the most perfect, obedient child the world had ever known if only...

If only someone would come save him...

….It took a few moments for Kaito to realize when his vision became blurry not only from tears, but from a lack of breath as well. The heavy throbbing at his temples had turned into a light-headed-ness, and the aches of his body as the man grabbed _everywhere_ began to turn into dull background throbs as the pain in his throat took the limelight. He lifted his small left hand, his right one remaining limp and useless at his side due to the dislocation of his shoulder, and clutched at the man's much larger one, prying at the fingers, trying to get them to release, or even loosen, the hold they had on him. The opposite effect was had as the man held tighter, and Kaito's eyes fluttered.

He neither noticed nor comprehended the unbuckling of his belt.


	10. Chapter 10: I'm Here

**Chapter 10: I'm Here**

The white car screeched to a stop, skidding along the gravel of the little dirt road located out in the woods near the outermost limit of Tokyo. Leaving the car running, not bothering to turn it off, the Kaitou 1412 leapt out into mid-air, the momentum of the car transferring to him and carrying him well over two meters before he even touched the ground. It didn't matter that the person inside had likely heard the screeching of the tires because mere moments later he was bursting through the unlocked door, into the RV, his eyes taking in everything there was to see in a single near-bursting-speed heartbeat.

When he saw Minamoto Futsuji pressed bodily against his nearly unconscious little boy, the child less than a third the size of the other man, both of their pants unbuckled, Kaito's shirt pulled up to his chest and ruffled and a hand clenched oh-so-tightly around his _son's throat_ …. For the first time in his entire life, the only thought that went through the magician's mind was _kill._

But in the next moment, as he was diving whole-heartedly towards the two where they were lying on the carpeted floor, he caught another glimpse at his son. It was only for the briefest of moments, but to him it felt like an eternity, his sharp mind cataloging every minute detail...

The dark bruise that was already forming on the boy's cheek, outlined by angry red, irritated skin in the shape of an adult-sized hand across the child's small face.

The hitching of his chest as he tried desperately to take in small, delicate breaths despite his held-shut esophagus.

The tiny hand that pulled oh-so-weakly at the grown man's fingers, as if begging to be given back the breath which had been stolen away from him, his silent plea going unrequited by the cruel monster above him.

The trembling that racked his body from head-to-toe, shivering down his spine and making Toichi himself shudder mid-air, even as his momentum continued to carry him above the ground towards them in his full-body lunge.

The bruising and red marks that littered his son's porcelain skin, across his torso, up his stomach, clear imprints of bruising fingertip grips and strokes, and the ugly, bleeding circle of a bite mark between his son's collarbone and neck. For a second, he considered ripping out the pedophile's throat with his own teeth...

And then he saw the eyes. His son's glossy, dazed, dilated, wonderfully indigo eyes, red-rimmed and tear-filled, with streaks of salty liquid running from the corners down his face, agitating the skin as they went and dried, only to ultimately be replaced by more. His eyes so unfocused, drifty as his eyelids shuttered from his lack of breath, yet through it all, the eyes which screamed above all else _"please, help me!"_

When he saw his son's pain-filled eyes, all thoughts of mutilating Minamoto for what he'd done were pushed into the furthest, darkest recesses of his mind and instead the overwhelming, all-consuming urge to simply hold his son, to help him, to ease his pain and take it all away, filled his heart and soul until no other thought could persist past: _'Leave the pedo to the police; take Kaito_ _ **home**_ _.'_

The moment finally passed as he collided with Minamoto, shoving him whole-heartedly off and away from his boy as Toichi crouched above his son protectively. Before the Fishy Magician could even begin to right himself, a pellet of knock-out gas was under his nose and opened, the older man's body relaxing limply on the floor.

Toichi turned, full attention on his son. Now that the hand had been removed, he could see the angry welts left by the man's suffocating grip on his son's slender neck and the sight made Toichi's own chest heave for breath, unable to find it as his son gasped in his own quiet breaths, unable to draw in deeper lungfuls of air because of the damage that had been done to him. Toichi instantly reached forward with his silky white-gloved hands and rubbed soothingly at the boy's throat, making him wince from the pain but opening up his air-ways, allowing for deeper, more productive and life-bringing breaths to enter the both of them.

As soon as the boy had the breath for it, he breathed the only word which came to mind: "D-Daddy..."

Toichi's heart clenched.

"I'm here, Kaito. Daddy's here. He's got you. You're okay. You're gonna be okay..." Even as he spoke, for the first time ever in his adult life, Toichi's voice cracked. Still, he soothed his precious little Kaito, murmuring sweet nothings into his ear when his own voice failed to form proper syllables. The very sound of his voice seemed to have an instant soothing effect on Kaito as the boy's tense body relaxed ever-so-slightly, his once-struggling-to-relieve-his-throat hand falling as limply to the side as the other had remained and his tense shoulders and back falling flat against the floor, as if the strings holding him up had been severed, his spine going slack. Despite all of this, his eyes remained ever-so-faintly open, staring up largely uncomprehendingly, knowing only that they were looking at their father and seeing nothing else, his vision rimmed by white and black.

Toichi reached forward, lifting his son as gently as possible, more gently than any human could ever manage, with the softness and light touch of a father phantom thief. He clutched the boy to his chest, wrapping him in his soft, warm cape, Kaito whimpering as his dislocated right arm was pressed against his father, Toichi trying his damn best to prevent any and all pain to his boy.

Kaito whimpered again as he stood, lifting Kaito into the air and whisking him towards the car, out of the hell-hole he'd just found him in.

"Hush little one, it's okay, you're safe now," he soothed softly, trying to calm the fear that no-doubt ran through the boy's mind as he was lifted from the floor and carried away.

When they reached the car, Toichi strapped Kaito into the passenger seat and brushed his lips over the top of the boy's head. "I'll be _right back_ , Kaito, I swear it."

Kaito's eyes fluttered as his groggy mind barely perceived the loss of the presence of his protective father beside him. His functional hand reached out and a sound of deep distress escaped him, and Toichi almost stopped in his hasty return to the RV... But no, he had to leave Kaito be, if only for a few moments.

Toichi returned to the RV and bound the culprit, doing a quick search of the RV and finding a locked drawer containing pictures of previous victims of his as they had appeared after he was done with them and mid-task. Toichi barely looked at them, averting his gaze and shuddering, knowing that they would be enough evidence for the police to go off of in order to convict the man for his crimes. On top of that, Toichi highly suspected that the dark-red coloring of the floor was chosen to hide any traces of blood which might remain from previous victims, and the Kaitou figured that the police would be able to pull evidence from there.

A few drops of his own son's blood would be found... But that alone wouldn't be enough for the police to uncover the fact that Kaito had been there. The world at large would never know that his son was here, if Toichi had anything to say about it. He hoped beyond all hope that the effects of the chloroform that had been used on his son would dull even his own boy's memories of the night's events past proper recollection.

Toichi didn't know why Minamoto only targeted Japanese children. Maybe the sick man was only attracted to the specific ethnicity and appearance? He also didn't know what had triggered the man's sick cravings. Was it the death of his wife? Something relating to his own children or grandchildren? Or had he been doing this all along, and only began to be noticed four years ago? Toichi didn't know the answers to any of it, and truly, by this point, he didn't _care_. All that mattered to him was that the man would face justice, and that Kaito would pull through. Nothing else at all mattered right then and there.

Satisfied that the culprit would be convicted and leaving a single white card reading _Kaitou 1412_ on it at the scene, Toichi hurried back to his son, who was now panting and thrashing slightly despite his aches and pains, panicked by the loss of his father's company.

"I'm here, Kaito, I'm here," Toichi soothed once more as he quickly glided towards the car, pausing at the passenger side only long enough to run a hand through Kaito's hair comfortingly before proceeding to the driver's seat.

The car was rolling away moments later, after only a brief moment was taken to close the roof, this time gliding as smoothly as was possible for a phantom's car to move on an old rocky road, Toichi worried less about speed in this instance and more about trying to prevent the jostling of his injured son beside him.

 **A/N:** **Reviews appreciated~!**


	11. Chapter 11: Priorities

**Chapter 11: Priorities**

His first instinct was to take Kaito _home_ , to treat his wounds himself and wrap his boy in the comfort and safety of the familiar, but logic forced him to push such thoughts aside. Kaito needed real medical attention, seeing as Toichi had no idea how extensive the damage truly might or might not be, and such violence, when inflicted upon one as young, thin and small as Kaito, could have disastrous and unusual effects. Toichi knew a thing or two about treating wounds, but he wasn't a pediatrician: He didn't know the complexities of a young, growing body, and wouldn't dare risk his son's health just to save face in front of an acquaintance.

With these thoughts in mind, Toichi headed for the one place he knew he could take his boy. As the Kaitou 1412, he lived a dangerous life, and Chikage had introduced him to the doctor she had sought out on the rare occasions she had been injured as the Phantom Lady while visiting Japan in the old days. An acquaintance of hers by the name of Doctor Fujiwara, who owned a very small, very private, and very _well-funded_ clinic that was open at all times. Thus-far Toichi had never needed to visit the man for treatment, any minor injuries he'd managed to collect as a Kaitou having been dealt with by himself and Chikage, and the doctor had no knowledge of Toichi's personal life and identity, aside from the fact that the Kaitou 1412 and Phantom Lady had an intimate relationship. He'd only met this doctor a handful of times, and so was reluctant to take his son to the man, but he honestly didn't have any other choice, and he was at least confident that the doctor would treat his son with the upmost discretion.

Toichi continued his course to where he knew the clinic was, well-hidden in the warehouse district of Kita-ku, just off the Ara River. He was thankful that, it being just past midnight, there were few cars out and about, and he could cut swiftly and smoothly through the night.

On his way, Toichi glanced at his son every few moments, noting that Kaito had fallen into what appeared to be a restless slumber, the boy's brow knitted in pain and sweat accumulating on his pale forehead.

Toichi gulped and reached for a compartment in the car, pulling out a small earpiece and mic, pressing it to his ear before dialing a number on the center consul. The phone rang for a few moments before being picked up.

"Moshi-moshi?" A happy, radiant voice responded.

"…. _Chikage_." Though he'd only said her name, the Phantom Lady could instantly hear the slightest of trembles in her husband's voice; a tremble which she'd never heard in the entire time she'd known him, and instantly she was more afraid then she'd ever been in her entire life. Her name alone conveyed a number of thoughts: _I screwed up, it's bad, I'm afraid. Come home._ _ **We need you.**_

She tried desperately to keep her lip from trembling as she spoke: _"Where's Kaito?"_

"I have him," Toichi assured. "He'll live." Or, at the very least, Toichi couldn't even _imagine_ that he wouldn't.

Chikage nodded, though her husband couldn't see it, before replying with one final "I'm coming". She hung up and Toichi let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, looking to his son again and again over the remainder of the drive.


	12. Chapter 12: A Father

**Chapter 12: A Father**

Doctor Fujiwara had met the Kaitou 1412 on four separate occasions, three times with the Phantom Lady present and once without her. He knew very little of the enigmatic man, much as he knew little about any of his clients. What he did know was that, for starters, he and the Phantom Lady were madly in love. What a feat it was, the man had reflected, for the Kaitou to convince the _Phantom Lady_ of all people to fall in love!

He also knew that of all the interesting, mysterious characters he'd met, the Kaitou 1412 was by far the most elegant, well-rounded, and in-control. He had a natural sense for such things: Had to, as a doctor to criminals (one needed to know if the criminal was likely to shoot you or thank you at the end of the night), and he knew from newspapers and various other sources that his assumption was accurate. In every situation, no matter how dire or unexpected, the Kaitou 1412 performed with upmost regality and level-headed-ness. It was part of what made the mysterious man one of his favorite acquaintances, despite knowing hardly a thing about him.

So to say that he nearly had a heart attack when he saw the Kaitou that night was no understatement. No one on the entirety of the planet had ever nor would ever see the white-clad thief so distraught ever again. He wasn't crying, or in hysterics, or anything of the such. His garments were as immaculate as they always were, and his posture was as straight and proud as ever, but for one who knew how to look, the signs were there, and they were _glaring_.

The man was clutching a small, heavily wounded child to his chest, and the first sign that the Kaitou was distressed could be found in the way in which he held the boy. As a father of one girl himself (though _none_ of his clients were privy to that information), he could recognize the hold of a father cradling that which was the most important thing in the world to him; his own flesh and blood. The white-gloved hands wrapped around the boy in a particularly protective way that the doctor knew meant he didn't, in reality, want anyone to touch the boy, but knew that there was no other choice if he wanted his son treated.

The second sign of distress was in the fact that the ever-present smirk which had never ceased to grace the man's lips was gone, replaced with the slightest of frowns which, the doctor knew, on this man equated to the grimmest of expressions. His eyes, too, while devoid of tears, held a deep panic within them that barely registered onto his face in the crease of his brow.

Finally, there was the last sign that the Kaitou before him was more distressed father than phantom thief at the moment, and it was by far the most telling and unnerving. Though there was no wind blowing past them outside and the air was entirely stagnant, the white flowing cape of the thief quivered ever-so-slightly and barely perceptible shivers ran up and down the man's spine. If he hadn't of been wearing such an article as the cape, which amplified all signs of movement tenfold, then it would have been impossible to detect the highly suppressed, full-body shuddering.

The doctor blinked twice, attempting to hide the surprise and panic that instinctually gripped his own heart at the sight of the badly abused child and distraught phantom thief. He stepped aside and held the door open, the white-clad father moving as silently and smoothly into the well-hidden little clinic as any other time he'd visited, his arms wrapping instinctively tighter around the bundle in his arms. The doctor locked the door behind them and drew the curtains, not wanting any disturbances or prying eyes to find them.

"This way," he instructed, and Toichi followed obediently, walking as if on air, entirely silent. He led them to a back room and motioned for Toichi to set the boy ( _his_ boy, he presumed) on the cot in the center of the room. The thief did as instructed, resisting the urge to reach out and stroke his son's hair again as he left the boy's side, Kaito instantly becoming unsettled by the distance between them and loss of warmth his father had provided. Toichi only stepped as far as the corner of the room though, standing stock-still as a statue and watching every movement that was made with careful scrutiny.

The doctor tried to ignore the watchful gaze of the father, instead focusing on the boy before him. He was painfully young, that much was clear, but due to the damage and thin frame he couldn't say precisely _how_ young.

"What's his age?" He decided to ask.

The phantom thief instantly responded in a steady, silky tone: "Four and three months."

The doctor nodded, taking a blood sample from the child's arm, making the boy squirm at the discomfort. The phantom thief shifted ever-so-slightly in the doctor's peripheral vision, and he knew that the man was suppressing the urge to push him away and demand he not touch the boy. Confident that the other man wouldn't actually take any action which might hinder his son's proper treatment, the doctor payed him no mind, continuing with his work on the boy. He carried the blood to the side to perform a test for drug usage. He could already smell the faint, lingering, bitter-sweet scent of chloroform on the boy, but he needed to know how much was still in his system. Chloroform was a dangerous anesthetic, especially when used on one so young. They were lucky that whoever had drugged the boy hadn't accidentally overdosed and killed him as it was; he didn't want to risk putting more chemicals into the boy's bloodstream without knowing exactly what was already there.

Toichi watched silently and with the most neutral expression he could manage as the man worked, refraining from moving so much as an inch towards them even as his son whimpered in pain while the doctor cleaned his wounds and injected him with various drugs.

He _did_ move when the man had grasped his son's right arm tightly and jerked it back into its socket, resulting in a sharp and shrill cry from Kaito that awoke the boy from his slumber, the doctor having been too afraid of the lingering effects of the chloroform to give him anything to make him sleep more deeply. Now in the conscious realm, Kaito was panicking, the bright examination light above him blinding everything from view and the cold surroundings terrifying him. He squirmed and, at first, the doctor moved to hold him down.

But when the Kaitou moved forward, the doctor instantly fell back, in part because he knew he should leave the calming and stilling of the boy to his own father, and also in part because he was slightly frightened by the thief's sudden movement, fearing possible retribution for having harmed the boy, even if it was necessary.

He needn't have worried though, as Toichi's undivided attention went to his son when he approached, a gloved hand finding its way into the boy's hair as the man leant down, his other hand raising the tail-end of his cape to cover the exposed and cold chest of the boy as he whispered into his ear. The effect was instantaneous as the boy visibly relaxed and the doctor marveled at the thief's ability to sooth his son so effectively. Most children's fears could not be soothed away by the voice of a parent alone, but the ever-so-gentle touch of the Kaitou and the silky smooth, reassuring voice had calmed the boy from a state of agitation and panic back into his somewhat fitful sleep.

The father waited by his son's side only a moment longer than necessary before stepping back again and allowing the doctor to continue his work.


	13. Chapter 13: Safety

**Chapter 13: Safety**

When all was said and done, Toichi was _immensely_ relieved. The doctor reported in a calm and calculated manner the extent of Kaito's injuries, the whole of which did _not_ include either anal penetration or rough-handling of the boy's more private parts. To know that he had at least been in time to prevent his full-on rape, even if Kaito had suffered sexual abuse, strangulation and a beating, lifted a weight off his chest that had settled there the moment he'd realized Kaito was missing.

The doctor wondered for a moment if the thief was aware of the fact that his relief showed in the ever-so-slight relaxation of his shoulders and tightly-drawn facial muscles. Doctor Fujiwara couldn't even begin to imagine how terrified the man had been, thinking that his four-year-old son might have been raped of all things. The doctor knew that, had he been in the thief's place, he wouldn't have been able to hold himself together even a fraction of how well the Kaitou kept it together. He'd have been in hysterics himself... But the lack of outward signs didn't at all make Fujiwara question the Kaitou's love for the boy; not even for a moment. It shown evident in the man's eyes every time he looked at his young one's face.

The doctor told Toichi that he could take the boy home, and that only minor observation was needed on his part. He didn't bother to tell the man that psychological ramifications might be the most permanent result of the boy's injuries: He was sure the man knew, and wouldn't appreciate hearing it spoken aloud. The doctor also didn't bother to tell him what to monitor, confident that the thief knew well enough what to look out for as far as his son's health was concerned. If the doctor had to take a guess, he'd say that the Kaitou would watch the necessary sites of injury and then some. Fujiwara hardly knew the man, but something about the non-violence and easy grace of the father told him that the boy would likely be positively coddled for the next several days, if not weeks to follow.

Toichi scooped his son into his arms, wrapping him once more protectively in his cape as the boy shivered, whispering a quiet and polite "thank you" to the other man as he flowed gracefully out of the room like water. Three days from then the doctor would find a decent sum of money within a white envelope upon his kitchen counter, but for now, the simple sign of genuine gratitude from the respectable thief was more than enough.

Toichi strapped Kaito into the car once more, doing a quick wardrobe change once inside the privacy of the cabin and switching the license plates. Toichi rolled the car into motion for the final time that night, this time taking his Kaito home, where he should have left him from the beginning. The ride was silent and smooth, Toichi listening to the still-strained breaths of his son next to him, relishing the sound which proved his boy was alive.

When they arrived home, the first thing Toichi did was get Kaito a fresh change of clothes and give him a warm bath. The boy slept through most of the ordeal, trusting his father to take care of him and resting his head against the man's shoulder nearly the entire time, lulling between sleep and half-consciousness.

Once Kaito was clean and dry, Toichi carried him off to bed. He paused in the entrance to his son's room before briskly taking him to his own shared room with Chikage, not daring to lay his son to rest in a room which still sported posters of his attacker. In the morning he would rip them off the walls and, along with anything else that had a direct connection to the man, burn it all. For now, he curled up with his son safely tucked into his arms upon his king-sized bed, the stripling fitting easily against his chest, brown locks tickling his jaw as he cradled Kaito's head beneath his chin.

Try as he might, Toichi could not sleep, his mind painfully awake the whole night long despite the exhaustion that had settled over him. He watched over his son through the night, protecting him, though from what he wasn't sure. Kaito slept mostly soundly, a whimper or shudder racking his body every once in a while, and every time this happened, Toichi would tighten his embrace of the boy with new resolve to protect him even from his own dreams.

They stayed like that all through the night until morning, when Chikage finally arrived home and searched the house for them, finding them curled up in the large bed. Toichi shifted to allow her to move in under the covers with them, both of the phantoms careful not to awaken their son, Chikage moving to rest her husband's head in her lap as she held her most precious boys. When Toichi silently turned his face into her dress and a slight dampness met her skin minutes later, she didn't say anything. She knew when she married him that the man secretly had a big bleeding heart; that he was such a gentle creature, despite the strength and control he also possessed. Unlike Chikage, who had often used gory tricks to get what she wanted, he was more civil and benevolent than anyone else she'd ever met, title of thief be damned! She'd never seen him cry, and would never see him cry again, but on this night, she wholeheartedly embraced him and their downtrodden little Kaito as the soft beings that they were, comforting them even as they drifted to sleep, taking over for her husband in the sacred duty of watching them while they slept.

 **A/N:** **Reviews are appreciated, if you wanna drop one by me. Thanks for reading~! ^^**


	14. Chapter 14: Memories Escape

**Chapter 14: Memories**

 **A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the new episode that came out the day it was published: "Kaitou KID and the Trick Box - Part One"! Yay! ^^**

When Kaito awoke, he was confused. His body hurt... But... He couldn't quite remember _why_. And his parents... They were there, with him tucked into his father's arms, pressed tightly against his warm chest and his mother's hand snaking around to stroke his hair softly, even as she dozed just near the edge of sleep.

His father's embrace was tight, heated, and borderline smothering, but it was entirely unlike the hot and painfully tight, constricting embraces he remembered having felt some time recently. When and where he'd felt such a painful to recall embrace he wasn't sure, but because he was anything but eager to remember it he let it go, opting instead to drift back into a this-time more peaceful slumber, enjoying the presence of his parents; comforting and secure.

Kaito mentally shrugged off the memories of discomfort lingering in the back of his mind and went back to sleep...


	15. Chapter 15: Unhinged

**Chapter 15: Unhinged**

Kaito wasn't sure what had his parents acting so strangely, but whatever it was, he didn't mind. They had seen to him to be both confused and immensely relieved when he'd asked them the next day why he was hurting so much. He remembered vaguely the pain he'd once felt after falling off a jungle-gym and breaking his collar bone... But somehow this pain seemed more deeply seeded and unsettling. He also couldn't comprehend why it was that his throat was so sore, his words coming out scratchy and forced.

His parents simply encouraged him not to speak so that his throat could heal more quickly, told him that there'd been an _incident_ of some sort without going into details about what that incident was, and proceeded to pamper him, as far as Kaito could tell, as they served him a western-styled breakfast of waffles with chocolate ice cream on top, the creamy chocolatey goodness soothing his throat, before encouraging him to go watch TV. Kaito heard them say something about a doctor as he left the room, but he didn't bother with staying to try and eavesdrop; they always caught him instantly when he did that, and he didn't particularly care to hear about a doctor or whatever the doctor had said about something-or-another.

Kaito sat on the sofa in front of the TV and flipped through the channels. Something colorful caught his attention and he stopped on a channel which he had stopped on many times before in his short life.

Animal Planet was playing on the screen, and Kaito's eyes widened as he took in the sight of colorful fish swimming about in the ocean. For some reason... He suddenly felt sick, as if he wanted to throw up the wonderful breakfast he'd just eaten.

Kaito clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from sobbing aloud, feeling ashamed and as if he should keep this to himself, though why, he had no clue. Why was his spine suddenly taut at a sight he used to enjoy so much? Why did he feel a burning shame that made his cheeks turn red and eyes water? He quickly reached for the remote he'd set down beside him and changed the channel, turning it instead to the magic channel where some magician he vaguely recognized, but didn't know the name of, appeared.

He relaxed after watching for a while, his parents coming in at one point and sitting with him. Upon seeing that Kaito was happily enjoying the magic channel, Toichi and Chikage both decided to spoil him a bit by preforming a few tricks for him right there on the couch. Kaito was enthralled, his parents overly pleased to see that their boy was happy and appeared to be largely unaffected by what had happened to him the night before. His memory of the night was spotty, at best, and as far as they could tell, he might actually come out of it without damaging psychological effects. They hoped desperately that this would be the case, and that their innocent little Kaito would never remember the horrors which had taken place.

They remained in the living room for several hours, until it was time for lunch. Chikage excused herself to make sandwiches for them, Toichi following a few minutes behind her to help her finish up the meal and carry it to the living room: Kaito wasn't allowed to eat anywhere in the house except for the kitchen counter and kitchen table, but for today, they figured they'd make an exception.

As his parents were in the kitchen, Kaito continued to watch the magic channel. The time turned to one-o'clock in the afternoon and Kaito realized that it was time for his regularly scheduled favorite program.

The Fishy Magician appeared on the TV. Kaito flinched, tears springing to his eyes. Moments later he'd clicked the television off, pressing the button on the remote with more force than was necessary.

Kaito sat there for several long moments, neither wondering why he was afraid or why the Fishy Magician suddenly held no appeal to him. All he could think about was the terror which seized him. He set the remote down next to him and curled in on himself.

"I'm guessing you want chocolate milk as your drink for lunch, right Kaito?" His mother's voice being carried from the kitchen snapped Kaito out of his terror-filled state. He blinked, realizing that at some point he'd curled up on the floor with his knees pressed tightly against his chest. He reached up and rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear all signs of tears from his face as he stood. His stance was shaky and he held the couch for support, taking a few deep, settling breaths before walking as calmly as possible towards the kitchen.

He hesitated outside the kitchen, taking another deep breath before plastering the biggest smile onto his face he could muster and walking in. "Actually, 'Kaa-san, I think I'm gonna go take a bath, okay? I'm not feeling too hungry yet since we had a nice breakfast." Kaito continued to smile, waving at his parents as he hastily exited the room again, not waiting for a response.

As soon as he'd left the room, Chikage dropped the plate she was holding. Toichi, with fast reflexes and precision, caught it before it could hit the ground and set it on the counter, taking in a rattily breath. They looked at each other, concern and fear etched into both of their faces in ways that only the other could understand.

Their bright, bubbly, happy little boy had never smiled at them with anything less than true, genuine mirth, despite the fact that he smiled _all the time_ , but the smile Kaito had just sent them had been entirely, one-hundred percent forced. Fake. Not at all happy, and entirely unconvincing. It was more than just unsettling...

All hope of their son coming out of this ordeal unscathed shattered.

 **A/N:** **Reviews are appreciated~!**


	16. Chapter 16: Awakening

**Chapter 16: Awakening**

Kaito did exactly as he said he was going to do: He went to take a bath.

He made the water nice and warm, adding soap as he'd seen his mother do on multiple occasions to make the water sudsy and bubbly and enjoyable. He waited until the bath was filled to the usual height before turning the tap off.

He hesitated at the next step. Usually his mother would grab his bucket of bath toys and dump them straight in, but looking at them now... Almost all of them were little wind-up swimming fish. Kaito looked around the room and realized that the shower curtains were patterned with the creatures. The towels, the tub mat, the soap dispenser...

Suddenly, Kaito couldn't breathe. His chest was constricting, and he reached up for his throat, wondering momentarily if something had wrapped itself around his already sore and aching neck, cutting off his air supply.

But no, his fingers met only raw, bandaged skin. Kaito turned and looked in the full-body mirror which hung on the door, for the first time seeing himself in the reflection. His eyes widened: He looked _awful!_ What had _happened?!_ He just couldn't understand!

Nor could he understand why looking around again at the fish-themed decor made his head spin and breath come in quick, labored pants. His mind was clouded with a fear he couldn't comprehend, unlike anything he'd ever felt before, and one thought ran through his mind over and over again as he got dizzier and dizzier:

 _'I can't breathe. I can't breathe!'_

After several excruciating, terrifying minutes of this he collapsed, passing out on the floor from hyperventilation.

His parents heard a faint _'thump'_ on the floor above them, despite the conversation they were having, and instantly bolted for the stairs. Toichi got there first, taking the steps three at a time and finding himself in the upstairs bathroom within seconds. He didn't hesitate at the door, thinking it would be unlocked, since Kaito knew that one of the rules of the house was that he wasn't allowed to lock the bathroom door.

He was shocked when he twisted the handle and it resisted the turning motion. He fought the urge to curse under his breath and had his lock-picks out in a flash, the lock giving way near instantaneously under his skilled fingers and allowing him access to the bathroom.

"Kaito? _Kaito!_ " Toichi instantly went to his son's side, Chikage in pace right behind him. Kaito was passed out, laying on the floor, tears streaming down his face.

"Kaito, honey, wake up. Come on, it's Mommy. Kaito?" Chikage rubbed at her son's cheeks to rouse him as Toichi held the boy, not daring to try shaking him awake for fear of injuring him. Kaito's eyes soon fluttered open, dazed and unfocused. "Kaito, baby, what's wrong?"

Kaito blinked a few times, more tears springing to his eyes and his lip trembling. "I-I don't know," he whimpered out. "I _don't know_." He then proceeded to curl into his father's sturdy chest, clutching tightly onto his shirt and sobbing uncontrollably, no matter how much he wished he could hold the tears back.

Toichi held him tightly and Chikage stroked his hair, both of them whispering assurances to him, promising that it would be alright.

But would everything be alright? Neither of them could truly say.


	17. Chapter 17: Avoidance

**Chapter 17: Avoidance**

They easily carried Kaito's slight weight down to the living room, laying on the sofa with him, leaving the TV off, their full attention on their still crying boy as he tried desperately to stop crying, Chikage rubbing circles in his back to soothe him as Toichi rocked him slightly in an effort to help him breathe more easily. It was at least ten minutes before Kaito managed to stop crying, his face still buried against his father's chest and hands still clutching the man's dark-colored shirt. The three of them stayed like that for a while longer, until Kaito was finally calm enough to get squeamish about sitting still for so long: The boy had never been the type to sit still, always running about and bouncing off the walls.

Toichi let him go, he and his wife watching with concern as Kaito began to simply pace about the room, arms crossed to hold himself as he let out his restlessness by pacing.

Chikage hummed before clapping her hands together, smiling, Kaito instantly stopping and looking up at her. "Why don't we go for a walk?!" She suggested. "Won't that be fun?"

Kaito smiled for a moment, but then hesitated. His smile faltered, though he forced some small sliver of it to remain on his face, and shook his head. "N-no thanks," he said quietly. "I... Feel tired all the sudden. I'm going to take a nap." He exited the living room without another word, heading for his bedroom.

Because, honestly, how could his mother suggest going outside when he looked so _horrible?_ Kaito knew that his parents were pretending he didn't look so bad, hoping that he wouldn't notice, but it had stood out to him immediately as he looked in the mirror earlier.

His face had a big, angry purple bruise all across the left side of it for some reason, and it stood out against his pale skin like a blotch of ink on paper! Not to mention the angry discoloration around his throat and the white bandages that covered some of it... Kaito definitely didn't want to go outside. He didn't want to think about how other people would react to seeing him if his parents were already acting so strangely around him. At least his parents were being nice to him: What would other people do if they saw him like this?

Kaito shook his head as he opened the door to his room, ridding himself of the thoughts. He looked up and stiffened.

Toichi had already, as he'd told himself he would, removed everything in the room which had a direct correlation to the Fishy Magician and burned it. Kaito didn't notice that those three posters and several other items were missing... What he did notice was the _fish._ They were _everywhere._ Because of them, there were a great many eyes as well, and he felt as if they were all staring at him, unblinking, judging...

Kaito closed his own eyes shut tightly and made his way blindly over to his bed, feeling around and climbing onto it before pulling his covers up over his head. He kept his eyes shut tightly because, surely, if he couldn't see them, they wouldn't bother him, right?

He continued to shiver under his covers until dinner. His father brought him down to the kitchen while his mother served them noodles and chicken. Kaito ate half-heartedly, thanking his mother for the meal before politely and quietly excusing himself again, returning to his room with his eyes shut and remaining painfully awake and aware of the _fish_ all over his room all throughout the night.


	18. Chapter 18: Tackling the Problem

**Chapter 18: Tackling the Problem**

After three days, Kaito seemed both better and worse to the Kuroba couple. His eyes had dark bags under them that progressively got worse as the nights passed, as if he wasn't sleeping, despite being in his room for hours the first day and all night long each night.

And he was acting... Oddly, to say the least. Eccentric and quirky, perhaps, in a somewhat unsettling way.

He moved about the house strangely, as if he was avoiding something and knew exactly what it was he was doing. He watched TV, relaxing well enough and seeming happy, but changing the channels in funny ways, never clicking through them as he used to in order to see what was on, now always going straight to a certain channel at a certain hour of the day, or else putting in a movie instead, carefully avoiding some of the movies and not others.

More often times than not he would leave the house altogether, opting instead to go out into the back yard and see the doves in their coop. Toichi and Chikage highly encouraged this more promising and healthy behavior, often going with him and sitting with him for hours in the large coop, talking to the doves and each other and petting the fluffy creatures. Kaito seemed to love them more than ever, though why, none of them were sure.

When he went to the bathroom or to take a bath, he bothered to go through his parent's room and use their master bathroom, disregarding his own bath in the hallway just across from his room.

He moved strangely as well, they noticed, particularly while he was in his room. He would avert his eyes, look around in strange ways, tense up, force himself to appear relaxed, and then tense again, sometimes closing his eyes, even if it meant running into things.

He'd also thrown the comforter off his bed, along with his stuffed animals. He now slept on a mostly empty bed with only his dark blue sheet. He'd taken the pillow-case off his pillow as well and thrown it to the floor by the foot of his bed with his comforter and stuffed animals. Each night he slept with the sheet pulled up over his head, and when his parents would ask if he wanted to sleep with them, he always hesitated before refusing, insisting that he was fine, and wishing them a good night.

After three days of this, Chikage and Toichi didn't know if they should be more worried or relieved. Their son was finding some form of peace in his life, and at least he was going through a mostly average daily routine. Once his injuries healed more thoroughly they would begin taking him for walks outside and about the neighborhood. It was lucky for them that, since they had enough money and Toichi made a living off his magic shows, they were able to give Kaito most of their undivided attention, and they'd never enrolled him in school. They'd both agreed that they'd wait until Kaito was at least six or seven before enrolling him in school, so for now, he was homeschooled and there were no teachers or school staff they needed to explain his absence to.

Still, the odd quirks he'd developed worried them. They didn't let it show, especially not to Kaito, but they were concerned. They wanted him to be comfortable in his home, not carefully moving about as if avoiding some hidden monster which lurked in the corner of every room...

It was the fourth night when they _finally_ understood what was causing their son's strange behavior, and what had triggered the occasional sudden bouts of crying they'd witnessed from him over the past few days.

Chikage made Sashimi for dinner that night.

The particular style of Sashimi that Chikage made for Kaito was one of his favorite meals: She would decorate the bite-sized bits of fish and rice to look like little fish characters themselves; usually they resembled Koi. It was cute, fun, creative, and an altogether good meal...

Or at least it _used_ to be.

When Kaito saw the Sashimi carefully decorated and made by his mother for him being set in front of him on the table, he instantly felt guilty and wanted to cry. He lowered his head and fussed at his bottom lip, trying to hold back the terror that gripped at his heart and tears that pricked his eyes. His mother had gone through the trouble of making him one of his used-to-be favorite meals, had put time and effort into it...

 _So why didn't he want it?!_

Kaito felt guilty, like a horrible son, for not wanting to eat the meal his mother had prepared for him. He felt pathetic for being afraid of something as silly and ridiculous as _fish._ Most of all he was just plain confused: _Why_ was he afraid?! Why couldn't he just push these irrational fears out of his mind?! He didn't understand, and couldn't remember. There was _something,_ itching at the back of his brain, a memory of some sort that he desperately wanted to grab hold of, as if remembering could help him get over this stupid terror. Simultaneously, he very much **_did not_** want to recall what had been so terrifying and painful that it could have such an effect on him. What if remembering made him _worse...?_

Kaito just _didn't know what to do._ He glanced up at the Sashimi, not noticing that by now his parents were both staring at him with wide eyes, cringing at the sight of it. He held back a sniffle, closing his eyes and wrapping one arm around his torso to comfort himself, the other reaching for the offered meal.

"Kaito?" His mother asked, and suddenly both she and his father were there, one on either side of him. He hadn't even noticed them stand...

"Please, Kaito, tell us what's wrong," his father demanded in a soothing but ever-so-slightly authoritative voice. Kaito pulled his hand back, away from the table, unable to force himself to touch, let alone _eat_ the offending food.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, voice watery and trembling. Both arms were clutched tightly around his torso now, trying to hold in the shivers that racked his body as fear coursed through him. "I'm _sorry._ "

"Hush, Kaito, baby," his mother whispered, pressing her lips to his hair. "Don't be sorry, Little Dove. Don't be sorry."

Toichi regarded his son with a thoughtful gaze. He looked to the table, watched his son again, and stood. He made his way to the living room, glancing about. Next, he went upstairs, stopping by the bathroom in the hall, Kaito's room, and the master bathroom. When he came back down to the kitchen, Chikage could see a look of understanding across his face. Whatever was going on, her husband thought he'd just figured it out.

Toichi came to his son's side and pulled him off his chair, embracing him for what seemed like the thousandth time in the last four days. Honestly, even if he'd hugged him a million times, the magician felt as if there was no number he could reach which would be one too many hugs for his poor child.

"Kaito," Toichi whispered softly and lovingly into his ear. Kaito melted at the sound, his shivers subsiding a bit, even if only for a moment. Toichi took a deep breath. "It's the fish, isn't it?"

Kaito tensed again and instantly, the trio knew that Toichi was right. It all made sense now: Why Kaito would disregard his fish-themed bathroom, the fish-printed comforter and pillowcase of his bed. Why he would throw all of his stuffed animals to the floor rather than trying to force himself to comb through and see which ones he still wanted. Why there were certain movies, channels, and articles of clothing he avoided.

Why he wouldn't, _couldn't_ , eat the fish-shaped Sashimi Chikage had just prepared for dinner...

Kaito sobbed, feeling ashamed. "It's _stupid!_ " Kaito suddenly exclaimed, trying to squirm out of his father's grasp, to run off and hide. Toichi held tighter. "It's _stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! I know! I_ _ **know**_ _it is!_ " He wailed, hands going up to clutch tightly at his already greatly disheveled brown locks. "And I don't know _WHY! I can't_ _ **remember**_ _!_ " Toichi held him tighter. " ** _I'm sorry._** "

"No," Toichi said suddenly, sternly. He pulled Kaito away from him a bit and placed a hand gently under the child's chin, making him look at him. "Listen to me Kaito. Listen well. It's _okay_. Everyone, without exception, is afraid of something. This fear of yours; it isn't stupid, and it's nothing you have to apologize for." If the proper thing to do was make Kaito face his fear and get over it, then Toichi didn't care. He didn't know what psychology textbooks would say about a four-year-old child facing a problem such as this one, didn't know if it was better to succumb to it or fight it... All he knew was that his boy had been through _enough_ already, and he'd be damned if he chose to subject his little boy to terror and pain just to try and force him to confront his fear and get over it. Maybe someday Kaito would grow out of it, or they'd seek proper psychological assistance, when he was older and could handle it...

But that day was _not_ today. Today, Toichi just wanted his boy to feel safe and alright again. He looked at Chikage and saw that she was thinking much the same thing he was. She stood and grabbed the dishes off the table, throwing the food in the trash. Next, she began to rifle through the kitchen cabinets, pulling any silverware, Tupperware, cups, bowls, and plates out that were fish-themed before tossing them, too, in the garbage. She made her way upstairs even as Kaito watched after her with wide eyes.

"Kaito, look at me," Toichi instructed softly. Kaito did as he was told and turned, peering up into his father's soft blue eyes. "Everyone is afraid of something. It's okay to be afraid. Sometimes, it's okay to let it show, too, around the people that you trust." Toichi touched their foreheads against each other, peering into his son's glistening indigo eyes. "Your mother and I love you. You don't have to hide anything from us. Not ever."

Kaito's lips formed a thin line and he nodded, closing his eyes and leaning into his father, nuzzling his face into the crook of the man's neck. His tears soon dried and his sobs subsided as he inhaled his father's comforting scent, the scent of sweet-smelling smoke and pine needles. He fell asleep, exhausted from the mental strain and his lack of sleep over the past few nights.

Toichi carried him upstairs and laid him to rest in the master bedroom before going to help his wife, leaving the child sleeping soundly for the first time in days.

 **A/N:** **I went to a Japanese grocery store the day this chapter was published with a little friend of mine. She wanted Japanese ice cream and went to the freezer that held it. She ended up deciding to get a bright pink popsicle-looking cylinder that greatly resembled something you'd see in a pastry shop; hot pink and with a white swirl in the middle, looking all innocent... She took a little bite and left the piece to melt in her mouth, and I took a bite and instantly began to chew, as are our ways. She took a little nibble, I took a chunk (because I was planning to suck on it while I drove her home)... I swear, it's the second worst thing I've ever tasted in my life. I spit it out SO FAST, it probably broke the sound barrier. She was like "um, it's not bad, so what are you doing?" And then her piece melted enough for her to taste it and suddenly she was gagging (which I managed to NOT do, thank you very much).**

 **What could this POSSIBLY have to do with this story, you may ask, besides the fact that it's something Japanese-related that happened to the author today? Turns out, she had NOT been paying NEARLY enough attention because that cute looking thing ended up being a FROZEN FISH CAKE. Made with FISH PASTE. It tasted like licking a slimy fish, I swear, it was groooossss... I've never liked the taste of fish, but damn that was nasty, at least to my distinctly Western tastes and when considering the fact that I had been expecting a sweet and maybe slightly abnormal-tasting popsicle, not... THAT... Plus I think, maybe, you're supposed to cook it... Or at least let it thaw... Not eat it like a popsicle like an idiot American... I took Japanese for several years, afterwards I was able to read the label and tell what it was, but my little friend has only taken Japanese for six months or so and only registered "looks like a popsicle, is bright pink, and is next to what is obviously a carton of ice cream". I wouldn't have stuck that thing in my mouth without reading if she hadn't of handed it to me and I hadn't been distracted with preparations for driving. =.=;**

 **Anyway, just felt like sharing that with you guys. Consider it a mini bonus story, I guess? Not that anyone really cares what I get up to in a day...**

 **As usual, reviews are appreciated~! Only two little chapters left to go! ;)**


	19. Chapter 19: As Time Goes On

**Chapter 19: As Time Goes On**

Up until his death, Kuroba Toichi never scolded Kaito or discouraged him from expressing his fear when it came to what Kaito had begun to refer to as _"finny things," "scaly monsters,"_ and sometimes _"f-f-f-f-f-fish."_ The word fish alone scared the boy and got caught in his throat whenever he tried to speak it, but Toichi didn't mind. Even as he taught Kaito the all-consuming importance of a Poker Face, he didn't reprimand him or show even the slightest sign of disappointment when fish were involved, and Kaito would try desperately for all of two seconds to hold onto his Poker Face before becoming too frightened and acting in hysterics.

How could he, after all, possibly be disappointed in his wonderful, amazing boy? Everything Kaito did, even when it was mildly irritating or bothersome, was endearing to the man. To most people, for that matter. Everyone who met him loved the boy, even if they claimed to hate him, and Toichi just _knew_ that his son would reach all-new heights in life.

So, he allowed Kaito that one, single fault which made him human, and imperfect, and somehow all the more perfect because of that imperfection. And even when Toichi felt the urge on occasion to tell Kaito to keep it together and get over his fear, he would push it away and remind himself that it was his _own_ mistakes which had caused his precious little Dove his trauma, and he would settle instead for just being glad that Kaito had come out as together and darling as he did. It could have turned out _so much worse_. Kaito could have been depressed, could have lost all faith in him and humanity and in himself. He could have been damaged beyond repair but, in the end, Toichi had been graced with a happy, optimistic, strong young man as his son...

Even if he _was_ deathly afraid of fish...

And Toichi thanked his lucky stars every night as he peered up at the sky under the moonlight for allowing things to turn out well despite his horrible mistake. Chikage would often tell him that it wasn't his fault, but Toichi knew better. It was his job to protect the boy, yet he'd nearly failed him beyond reconciliation.

Besides, it was as he'd told Kaito, _everyone_ had a fear. Something that could wipe even the most carefully crafted of Poker Faces off a person's features. For him, that fear was losing Kaito.

And by extension, because he loved Kaito so dearly and wanted to protect him at all costs, and because he had been there that night in that hellish RV, Toichi, too, was a bit scared of fish himself. He was thankful to see the decorations go, and glad he wouldn't have to eat the scaly animals anymore. He would never let it show, but that night had been enough to turn _him_ off of fish forever too, so it was entirely understandable that his young child was scarred for life because of it.

Toichi would never know it, but Kaito was immensely grateful, years after his death and forevermore, that his father had been so understanding and accepting of him, and that he'd loved him so deeply despite his flaws.

 **A/N:** **Reviews appreciated~! One more little chapter to go! ;)**


	20. Chapter 20: Remembering

**Chapter 20: Remembering**

Kaito never told his mother about it, he never told anyone, but one night, he _remembered_.

On a night when he was alone at home, at the young age of only thirteen, he had a nightmare. It felt so _real_ , he could _feel it_ , the hands scraping up and down his sides, the ache in his throat and muscles, the constriction caused by a heavy weight on his chest, and the boring eyes of the numerous _finny things_ around him...

He could feel something slick and slimy as fish-scales move up and down his stomach, chest, neck... He could smell the sick scent of fish and musk and _want_ on his attacker, a scent he hadn't been able to name at the time... It was almost as if he were reliving a memory...

And he'd remembered white, too. He wouldn't know what the white was until two years after remembering, but he remembered an all-encompassing white, soft and wrapping him in warmth, driving away the fear and pain. He remembered his father's soothing voice, and gentle hands, so much more caring and careful than the rough hands that had been gripping him moments before.

Kaito had awoken that night, sweating and panting. Even after he woke, the nightmare didn't fade. It stayed, from then on, as a memory which resurfaced a bit every time he came into contact with the _scaly monsters_ which haunted him. Maybe remembering should have made it all worse...

But it didn't. It made it easier to swallow. It made him feel less like a total fool, knowing now that his reason for being so deathly afraid of the creatures wasn't just illogical: It had real, tangible, logical origins. There was a _reason_ behind it, it _made sense_ , and that helped a little.

The memories that would surface did make it harder when the fear would first take hold, but the moments that followed were what really made remembering worth it. Because from then on, whenever Kaito was faced with his greatest fear, he would soon after be comforted by the white. By the color he (again, for reasons he wouldn't know for years to come) had come to associate with his father. He was reminded of his father's warmth, his scent, and he could hear his father's soothing voice in his ear. He could remember clearly the true worry which had seeped into his father's voice, something that had never before nor again happened in all of Kaito's life. It was the one strongest memory Kaito had to prove that his father truly did, with all his heart, love him. It gave Kaito a sense of self-worth that even the fear of fish couldn't take away from him.

After all, if the one and only thing in the whole world which could break the Poker Face of the greatest magician to-date was _him_ , then he must be pretty damn special. Some people believed him arrogant and egotistical, but how could he _not_ believe in himself while knowing he was the son of a man so great?

Sometimes Kaito would feel as though he could never live up to the legend that was his father, but knowing that his father, the greatest man to ever live, had loved him so thoroughly made Kaito feel more valuable than any gem could ever be.

～終わり～

 **A/N:** **I had a little trouble writing the end here, so it came out all sappy. Dang. Oh well...**

 **So, that's all for this one! There are more DC/MK stories on my profile if you wanna check them out; stories less disturbing than this one was...**

 **Reviews appreciated! C'ya~!**


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